This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Propshaft assemblies typically employ universal joints to permit vertical and/or horizontal offset between the output member of one vehicle component (e.g., a transmission or transfer case) and the input member of another vehicle component (e.g., an input pinion of an axle assembly). One common type of universal joint is a Cardan joint that employs a spider mounted on bearings between a pair of yokes. While such universal joints can be efficiently and cost effectively manufactured, they do not always transmit rotary power at a constant rotational velocity and moreover are suitable for use through a limited range of offsets between the output and input members.
Another type of universal joint is the constant velocity joint that employs a plurality of bearing balls between an outer race and an inner race. It is relatively common to employ to employ a multi-bolt adapter between the constant velocity joint and the input/output member of the other vehicle component. Such adapters are typically not desirable, as they require more assembly labor and add significant mass.
One recently proposed alternative to the multi-bolt adapter involves the installation of the (output or input) member of the driveline component through a seal boot during the assembly process (i.e., the process of installing the universal joint to a driveline component of the vehicle), to engage the member of the driveline component directly to the inner race. As the seal boot is typically filled with a lubricant, and as the seal boot obscures both the member of the driveline component and the inner race, the assembly technician must align the member and the inner race to one another in a blind manner (i.e., by feel), which can be somewhat difficult and time consuming. Moreover, the seal boot must be clamped to the member of the driveline component after installation of the member to the inner race and consequently, the assembly technician must perform additional work on the vehicle assembly line.
Since the interior of the constant velocity joint cannot be closed until the member of the driveline component is engaged to the inner race, there are concerns for both contamination of the interior of the constant velocity joint and the leaking of lubricant from the interior of the constant velocity joint. Moreover, the constant velocity joint cannot be balanced as a unit; rather a tooling component, which simulates the member of the driveline component, is mated to the inner race when the constant velocity joint is rotationally balanced.
The presence of the seal boot and the inability to support the inner race is not conducive to the use of an interference fit between the member of the driveline component and the inner race in some situations and as such, the assembly may not be lash-free and may cause issues with noise, vibration and harshness. Some lash-free designs have been proposed, but these designs typically require a threaded mechanism to assemble or disassemble the member from the inner race. Such threaded mechanisms are typically cumbersome to operate, requiring the use of open end wrenches to rotate a nut that is employed to generate an axially directed force that drives the member of the driveline component and the inner race together.
There remains a need in the art for an improved constant velocity joint.